


Rise and fall

by DarkAges



Category: Girls und Panzer
Genre: F/F, Friendship, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, World War II
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:21:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28339134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkAges/pseuds/DarkAges
Summary: Follow Maho and Miho through the Second World War on the side of the Germans.Rated M for following Chapters (safety first 😉 )
Relationships: Itsumi Erika/Nishizumi Maho, Itsumi Erika/Nishizumi Miho, Nishizumi Maho/Nishizumi Miho
Comments: 1
Kudos: 1





	Rise and fall

**Author's Note:**

> AN: Hey guys, I'll get back to you! Unfortunately, I couldn't write because I moved to a new city and the move went more than smoothly, starting with 3 months with no internet ...  
> And I thought to myself I would start a new story that was floating around in my head (don't worry, obstacle will be continued! Promise! But this story is constantly pushing itself into the foreground that unfortunately I can't concentrate on the other story) Please write to me how you find this story or you detest it.  
> Have fun while reading this story  
> And a merry Christmas for you all  
> Your Darkage

**Chapter 1:** _Epilogue_ **the Arrival**

**20.10.1938 Marienfelde (Berlin)**

**"That's where we're going to live here today. What you both say to that?"** The lanky man in long coat and hat asked the two little girls who stood, with wide open eyes, in front of the large building that towered majestically into the sky.

**"The whole house belongs to us?"** asked the youngest and walked towards the front door.

**"Don't be silly, no one can buy such a big possession... maybe father would be the tenant,"** said the elder of the two girls and looking at her father to get his agreement.

The man began to laugh and placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder.

**"You're right in a way... no that belongs to me not quite we are only tenants but we got the biggest apartment here,"** he said, beaming with joy and began to walk to the front door.

**"Why do we have the largest apartment?"** the younger curiously asked her father who just wanted to answer when Maho cut him off the word

**"Oh boy, Miho stop asking so stupid questions!"** Scolded her older sister and crossed her arms in front of her chest and gave Miho a derogatory look.

**"Stop banning my mouth Maho!"** Miho chuckled back and did the same to her sister.

Her father shrugged and took both children into his arms.

**"Hey what did I say what you should never do here?"** her father asked the two siblings in a whispering tone.

**"Sorry Father,"** both said remorsefully, looking embarrassed to the ground.

**"Mina... Margot... these are your names, no longer call each other in public by your real names."** He said sharply and looked both in the eye. Both said nothing and just nodded.

He nodded and let go of his daughters.

**"Let's go inside,"** he said again with a cheerful mood, entering the house.

**"That's your fault,"** Miho hissed quietly to her sister.

**"Oh, shut up, you worm,"** Maho chuckled her eyes and proudly entered the house, Miho trotting after her with a sigh.

Miho's mood suddenly got better when she saw the big apartment. It was so big that everyone had their own room. The living room was flooded with light and shone in a beautiful ochre tone. A large table adorned the middle of the room where six chairs stood around it. A large closet adorned the longest wall in the apartment where a variety of plates and glasses were stored. A phone was on a small the table that stood by the window to the street.

Miho made big eyes when she saw the phone ""

Her gaze stopped at a picture hanging from the wall and showed a man on it showing his side profile in a brown uniform. She put her head a little wrong and had to admit that the man who was painted in the picture didn't really give anything.

**"Dad, who is this man?"** asked her curiously and pointed her finger at the picture.

Her father came into the living room visibly confused about the question, but when he saw the picture that the youngest daughter saw, he had to laugh gently.

**"That dear daughter is our Fuehrer and chancellor,"** he said proudly, squatting down to his daughter. From the corner of his eye, he saw his older daughter stretching her head out of the bathroom and trying to see the picture.

Miho's mouth opened when she heard what her father said was the man who, in the picture, was the great leader who had made this country great. The man why they flew around half of the world to belong to the great German Empire. She noticed Maho putting her hands on her shoulder. Miho looked up to her sister, who looked at the man with a radiant expression on his face.

A loud knock rang on the front door.

**"Ahh well, they should be here by now,"** said the father, standing up and clapping his hands and going to the door.

Curiously, Maho and Miho looked after their father, they heard an excited lady agreeing and the deep buzz of their father’s voice from the door. They looked at each other in disbelief before approaching the entrance.

**"I am very grateful to you for helping me out with this,"** the two siblings heard their father say. Miho and Maho looked out of the living room and looked closely at the scene

**"Oh, they listen to us have to stick together and since we are neighbor’s it is an honor for me,"** said the woman, who was already in her mid-thirties. She was slim and had long dark blonde hair that reached down her shoulder blades.

Maho took all the courage and tapped Miho on the shoulder and nodded towards her father and the visitor. Miho once swallowed heavily and then stepped out of the living room with Maho.

**"Ahh these are the two of them,"** the woman said joyfully, turning in the direction of the two arriving siblings.

**"Let me guess you are... Margot,"** she said kindly, pointing to Miho. Silently, Miho shook her head and pointed her thumb at her sister, who was standing next to her.

**"Oh. Sorry,"** the woman said, visibly embarrassed, scratching her back of the head.

Miho looked at the woman who was also very tall about a head taller than Maho. She wore an apron with a floral pattern on it and a light blue blouse underneath. Miho found that the woman looked rather pretty.

**"So, I'm the Mrs. Weck but you can call me Susanne,"** Ms. Weck said, beaming joyfully at the two girls.

Miho and Maho exchanged glances and grinned at the woman. Before anyone could say some rather loud steps came from the stairwell and a knock bang at the door.

**"I want to introduce someone to you both,"** Ms. Weck said, taking it right to open the door. Miho and Maho looked curiously into the stairwell and saw a young girl standing outside the door. Miho watched the girl closely. Her light blonde hair was tied together into a ponytail and a beret sat loosely on her head, she wore a white blouse, around her neck she had a black neck scarf tied up which had a brow knot. A navy-blue skirt adorned her long legs, which was held by a blue belt.

Miho fell in love with this outfit/uniform, her sister was also very impressed and looked at the newcomer.

**"Come in and welcome the Messer family, my dear,"** her mother said to the new arrival. She immediately entered the apartment and raised her right hand. Miho and Maho looked at each other inquiringly. The new person blinked a few times and snagged her hand. She turned to her mother.

**"Are... are they Communist?"** she asked and looked suspiciously at the siblings.

**"Oh, stupid Erika, this is Mr. Messer, he was a diplomat in Japan and these are his daughters who came home to the Reich today,"** her mother said, smiling softly at the siblings.

**"They don't yet know how we greet here and what our customs are."**

Erika again looked at the two of them with suspicion and nodded slowly so that she could see that she understood what her mother had said.

**"You're going to teach them that now,"** her mother whispered to Erika, who had Erika turning her head around to her mother. Her eyes were huge and before she could protest, her mother waved her off.

**"We will take care of Margot and Mina more often because their father will be travelling more often."** Explained her mother and turned to the father of Miho and Maho, smiling.

Erika blinked a few times to process the new information.

**"Hey, show Erika your rooms I still have to discuss a lot with Mrs. Weck,"** her father said softly, giving his daughters a joyful smile.

Maho nodded and turned to Erika.

**"Come on I will show you my room"** she offered Erika her hand for Erika to grab her so she could lead her to her room. Erika saw the outstretched hand but did not take it, because she did not know this gesture. A slightly red shadow lay over Erika's face as she began to move towards Maho, who turned around and walked into her room. Miho followed they slowly. For her, one thing was clear: she didn't like Erika.

Erika was not badly surprised when she entered the huge room, it was twice the size of her own but this one was very sparsely furnished. A small closet where the clothes of the older sister were stowed away, a bed and a desk were in the room, no toys or books were in the room.

**"This is very... "It's sparsely furnished..."** said Erika, trying to sound nice, which she couldn't. Miho twisted her eyes and leaned against the room door and watched the two girls proceed in front of her.

**"So, you're called Erika Weck?"** asked Maho to start a conversation. Erika nodded and looked around.

**"And you're Mina?"** asked Erika a little disinterested

**"No, I'm Margot - Holle Messer,"** Maho said as memorized, bowing to Erika. Erika cut a little about the way she was told and looked at Maho with a sump like view.

**"Ok... why do you bow to me now... have I made the carpet dirty or lost something out of my pocket?"** asked Erika and looked at her shoes to see if she had left dirty stains or lost something.

**"No, that's how we greet people in Japan...”** Maho said, and looked at Miho with an irritated look.

**"Well done Maho..."** Miho sighed approvingly and became aware that she had said something wrong and held her mouth with both hands. Erika turned her gaze to Miho and asked in the room.

**"Maho?"**

**"Great Miho you have done something now..."** Maho dropped on the bed and buried her face in her hands.

**"Miho?"**

An awkward silence fell over the room at the awkward mood of the girls. Erika kept looking back and forth between Miho and Maho, waiting for an answer.

**"Please... Erika please don't say that we've said our names,"** Miho pleaded with the blonde, close to tears.

Erika didn't understand anything that was going on. She tried to assign the whole puzzle pieces. She took turns looking to Maho and Miho.

**"So, your names are Maho and Miho, not Mina and Margot?"** asked Erika curiously to be quite sure. She got only one nod from both.

**"Why did you change them? They sound cute"** Asked Erika, Erika leaned against the desk, entwining her arms in front of her chest.

**"Father thought we would be better received by other if we had German names,"** Miho said monotonously in front of her.

**"He said it's not common for Japanese to get work or go to school here,"** Maho said, looking at Erika. She just nodded.

"I have to admit that I haven't seen any Japanese here so far... except for both of you," Erika said, giving them a scrutinizing look.

**"And you don't necessarily look like Japanese... I would have guessed that you were either from Sudetendeutsche or from Prussia,"** Erika said thoughtfully, tapping her finger against her lower lip.

**"You... You won't reveal anything?"** Miho inquired and looked at her imploringly. Maho looked at her curiously and at the same time exemplary.

**"I don't know why you want to continue playing this charade but ok... I'm not saying anything... Just because we have to get along with each other,"** she said amusedly, and saw a stone fall from the heart of both siblings.

**"Thank you, Erika"** Maho and Miho said at the same time, giving her a slight smile, Miho said nothing, she still didn't really trust the blonde.

**"Good..."** she said, looking out of the window that was near the desk

**"What are you going to do? So, I mean what are you doing here? Work? School?"** Erika inquired without looking away from the window.

**"I'm leaving school and then I'm going to look for a job maybe as a nurse or something like that,"** Maho said, pondering her options. Erika just nodded and waited for the younger sister.

**"Me? Celebrate my birthday and then finish school as soon as possible and then work in a factory or something"** Miho said, deliberately not looking at her sister because she looked at her badly. Miho was supposed to go to study and become something like a nurse.

**"What grade do you go to Miho?"** Erika asked without knowing that she was addressing her by her real name not the one her father had forced on the girl.

**"I´m in year nine of elementary school as it's called here,"** Miho said, shrugging her shoulders.

**"Hey, we can go into the same grade class."** Agreed Erika joyfully and winked at the younger one. Miho threw a sweaty smile at her.

**"What are you going to do?"** asked Maho and looked at Erika penetratingly.

**"I'm going to go to the military after I´m old enough,"** she said proudly, feeling like the two siblings were envoys of her.

**"Can women be in the army in Germany?"** Asked Maho stupidly and looked at Miho surprised.

**"Not yet..."** said Erika disappointed, but immediately regained her courage.

**"But according to some hot sources, the Fuehrer will issue something by the end of the year."** she said extremely proud and her grin got wider.

**"Military..."** Maho said softly to herself. That was, of course, better for them than to be a nurse or to work in a factory on the belt or something like that.

**"You have a bright future ahead of you when you're a soldier, good food, good money, camaraderie, etc."** Erika said and felt her being looked at curiously by the two siblings.

**"I want to be there!"** Miho said excitedly and took a few steps towards Erika.

**"It's going to be difficult..."** Erika said, a little embarrassed. Both sisters looked at her with open mouths.

**"You should enter at least organization for example like me at BDM,"** Erika said, fumbled at her uniform.

**"Then I step in,"** Miho said excitedly.

**"..."** Erika's face was a little dislocated, because she did not know that foreign Germans did not have the same privileges as Reich Germans. Maho saw Erika's gaze and understood that this was not possible.

**"Miho... let it go...Study and make something better out of your life."** Maho said and gave Miho a serious look.

**"But!"** Miho protested immediately before she could even say another word, she saw Maho's iron-hard gaze, which made her silent. She turned away and left her sister's room.

Erika followed the spectacle and thought only that the older sister could become a born officer.

**"I'm not wrong when I tell you that it's not possible for us to enter this BDM, isn't it?"** asked Maho without looking at Erika.

**"No..."** said Erika toneless, looking like Maho nodding. There was an uncomfortable silence in the room when Erika decided to leave.

**"I... I'll go..."** she said, slowly pushing past Maho, staring grumpingly down at the floor. When Erika was about to leave the room, Maho called her name again, she swirled around and looked at Maho curiously.

**"I don't know if it's right but... Heil"** she raised her right hand and greeted Erika. who did the same before leaving.

****

**22.10.1938 Marienfelde (Berlin)**

The last few days have been the most difficult the two siblings had so far. Acceptance at school was a bit poor since barely any of the students knew them. Although the curiosity of the other students was great, because both of the new students were at the school except for a few questions where they came from and whether they would be in the BDM both were left somewhat left to do their own things. Miho panicked when she had to separate from her sister because her class was one floor higher than Miho's.

Her heart began to beat violently as she stood at the door of her new class and had to wait until she was called in by the teacher. When this happened, she opened the door and walked stiffly towards the teacher's desk and turned to class as learned in Japan, Miho bowed before the class of astonishment among the other classmates, even the teacher raised her eyebrows when she saw the gesture.

Miho immediately blushed and began to stutter, causing the students to start giggling an chatting in the class.

**"Enough now!"** The teacher hollered at her class and slapped her flat hand on the desk to express her words. The class was immediately silent and watched the teacher wave over to Miho.

**"Mina... I don't know what it was like with you, but here we greet the class with Heil Hitler and do not bow."** She said sharply when she rebuked Miho.

**"O-Ok... Sorry..."** said Miho, culpably looking to the ground

**"It's okay Mina,"** the teacher said smugly, putting a hand on Miho's shoulder.

**"You'll learn that,"** she added as she looked around the class where there was still an empty space.

**"Erika!"** The teacher cried sharply and Miho saw Erika Weck speeding up from her seat and looking at the teacher attentively.

**"Do you care about Mina?"** said the teacher in a command tone that Erika did not like at all after the teacher was not a soldier.

**"Yes, I will,"** Erika said succinctly, and just wanted to sit down when the teacher snorted at her.

**"I didn't say that you can sit down Erika!"**

Erika stood still again and tightly in her place. And threw a hateful look at the teacher.

**"For your disobedience you will be punished!"** said the teacher with an amused voice. Erika took a deep breath and went to the teacher's desk.

**"You know how it's going to be nice hands over the desk,"** said the teacher, amused and at the same time in a strict tone. Erika did. It would be foolish not to do it.

A simmer broke the silence into the room and a biting clapping rang out in the classroom. Erika suppressed a cry of pain, but she slumped a little. Her eyes filled with tears as she closed her eyes to suppress the pain but despite that a tear rolled down her face.

Again, the screaming and the loud clapping came. This time Erika groaned a little in pain.

**"Remember this well Miss Knife in my class reigns breeding and order!"** she said smugly and pulled out for the last blow.

This last blow hit her with full strength so that Erika was now howling when she was hit. Her hair now hung in front of her face, covering the expression on her face.

Erika turned her head a little and saw the teacher hanging her cane against the wall.

**"Once upon a time comes the day of revenge... once I'm free..."** she quoted a fight song she had learned at the BDM, which she had personally rewritten for herself, in her mind.

**"Thank you, Miss Weck, they are now going in their place and behaving now,"** the teacher said contemptuously, throwing Erika an ugly look.

Erika stood in front of the teacher, raising her right hand to greet her and shouting **"Yes!"**

**"I think it makes more sense that you sit down next to Miss Weck Mina because she can teach you so much... but no tussle during class,"** the teacher admonished, and Miho nodded silently and walked to the seat next to Erika.

**"So dear great then let's start with German class now,"** said the teacher, taking her book in her hand.

Miho kept looking over to Erika a few times. The blonde was suspiciously quiet and didn't really follow the class. Miho decided to leave Erika alone.

_"What a good start in the new school..."_ Miho thought sarcastically and sighed inwardly.

***

**23.10.1938 Marienfelde (Berlin)**

**"Congratulations Miho!"** Maho screamed at her little sister as she stormed into her room and pulled her out of bed with a big and firm hug.

Completely sleep-drunk and disoriented, Miho didn't understand what was going on and blinked a few times. It was only after a good 15 minutes that she realized what a day it was and her mood improved from minute to minute.

**"Thank you, Maho"** she said, and then responded to the hug.

**"Here I've got this for you,"** Maho said joyfully, handing her a small gift.

**"You shouldn't do that!"** Miho playfully rejoiced but animal-like about the gesture from her sister. Miho ripped open the paper and opened the small box.

Inside was a pencil case with a self-embroidered floral pattern and the initials of Miho in it.

**"Where? How?"** Miho stuttered and tears filled her eyes.

**"I finished it yesterday and the pencil case is my old... I would buy you a new one but..."** Maho tried to explain herself but Miho grabbed her hands and shook her head

**"Thank you Maho! Thank you, thank you, thank you,"** Miho said with a sob and gave Maho a kiss on the cheek.

**"Do you like it?"** asked Maho insecurely.

**"I love it!"** Miho said euphorically what Maho conjured up a good smile on her face.

**"Come dad is waiting for us with breakfast,"** Maho said as she heard the quiet snarling of Mihos belly.

Maho led Miho into the living room shortly before she put her hands in front of Miho's eyes and pushed her into the living room. A scent of freshly baked buns and hot coffee flowed through Mia's nose and her appetites grew.

When Maho took her hands from Miho's eyes, three were in front of Miho and beamed at her with a kind smile. In addition to her father, Erika and her mother were there, both standing in front of her in their most beautiful things, as Miho felt. It was a little embarrassing because she was still in her pajamas. Her father immediately began to sing a birthday song with the others tuning in. Mihos beaming smile grew bigger and bigger.

**"Happy birthday sweetheart,"** said her father, squeezing a kiss on her head.

**"Happy birthday Mina,"** Erika's mother said, greeting the little girl.

**"All the good things to you,"** Erika said with a gentle smile and she too gave a gentle hug.

**"So, sit down treasure this is my gift to you a nice breakfast,"** beamed her father and Miho looked at the laid table. There were boiled eggs wrapped in a cloth next to the rolls, various loaves lay cut in a willow basket in front of her, various jams and spreads were on the table.

**"So much..."** Miho marveled, and heard a loud laugh from her father.

**"This is your day of honor Mina so you can afford it,"** he said joyfully.

Miho's gaze fell on the flowers that stood in the middle of the table, which had all the colors in it that she knew only from biology books.

**"These are from us,"** Erika's mother said as she sat down and looked at Miho's stunned face.

**"From you only, you mean?!"** Erika asked and received a surprised look from her mother

**"Here this is from me,"** Erika said, giving Miho a small packet. Miho looked at the packet in amazement and began to open it carefully. Erika watched with pleasure as Miho gently opened the package.

Miho took out a small picture frame and turned it around to look at the image. She was amazed at what she saw an older man posing in a brown uniform. Thousands of people rushed through her head as she finally stopped by asking _"Why is she giving me a picture of an old man"_

Erika saw the astonishment and she smiled sweetly as she watched Miho's reaction.

**"I thought... because you don't have pictures of him..."** she plucked at the hem of her blouse and lowered her gaze. A quiet spread and you could see Erika running a little red.

Mahos and Miho's father went to Miho and looked at the picture. He put his hand on Mihos' shoulder and said with a proud voice.

**"Hey Miho that's a great gift does you know who that is?"** asked her father to break the unpleasant silence.

**"An old man..."** she said without thinking as she looked at the picture again.

She saw Erika raise her gaze and a suppressed angry look wandered towards Miho.

**"Oh boy sweetheart, this is the Fuhrer, our Fuhrer!"** said her father sweaty and laughed embarrassedly. Miho swallowed heavily when she heard that. She took turns looking at everyone.

**"I... I... I didn't know... I didn't want to... I mean I'm happy... I've never seen him and yes..."** Miho's head was as red as a ripe tomato, she tried to explain herself but failed miserably.

**"I’m... I'm so sorry,"** she said, tearfully, bowing to Erika.

Erika shook her head and had to giggly.

**"Thank you for the gift Erika! I'm very happy I just didn't know it..."** Miho said deeply bowed to Erika. She wanted to maintain the friendship, at least to save what is left.

**"Well, Mih... Mina, I forgot that you're coming from further away and you certainly hear little to nothing from us Germans,"** Erika said calmly, shrugging her shoulders.

Miho nodded approvingly, which was actually a lie, because world events always came in the newspaper or on the radio and the German Japanese friendship had increased considerably in recent years.

**"So good kids then we still want to cut the cake ok?"** the father asked and clapped his hands with relief.

**"Cake, too?"** Maho and Miho asked it at the same time.

**"What is a birthday without a cake?"** He said with a kind smile and disappeared into the kitchen. It didn't take long and he came into the living room with a large dark brown cake.

Mihos mouth fell open and she was just amazed at what her father had done for her.

**"You Miho?"** Whispered beside her, she broke free from the sight of her father with the big cake. Erika looked at her with a kind smile.

**"Do we want to find a place for the "old" man before we have fun with the cake?"** she asked and reached for Mihos poorly and pulled her towards her room. Miho shrugged a little as Erika emphasized the old thing but she agreed and disappeared with her in her room. Together they chose a suitable place at the desk. They looked at the place for a moment and agreed that it would do well. Just as Erika was turning around and wanted to leave the room, Miho grabbed her wrist and forced her to stop.

Erika looked at Miho, who had a sad face, in amazement.

**"I'm sorry what I said earlier..."** she stammered in front of her tears again close to the tears

**"Hey, it's all good I just wanted to tease you,"** Erika assured her, trying to capture her gaze.

**"Are ... are we still friends?"** A sobbing Miho asked as she lifted her gaze hopefully and looked with tear-filled eyes into the steel blue of Erika.

Erika was baffled, she was unprepared for such a question she hesitated a second too long and Miho sadly lowered her gaze. Erika did what she had never done in her life, she hugged Miho and stroked her back.

**"Of course, why not?"** she said only, and she noticed a tear running out of her own eye over her cheek.

**"Thank you, Erika"** Miho breathed and sobbed again as she broke away from Erika. She wiped her tears from her eyes with her shirt. There was a pleasant silence among the two.

**"Mina, Erika, won't get a cake!"** Her father cried out of the living room laughing. Both looked at each other and had to laugh. With quick steps they went to eat the cake.

***

**2 January 1939 Marienfelde (Berlin)**

**"Margot! I forbid you to join the army for god's sake!"** her father yelled at her. His face was furiously distorted and bright red. He locked the front door and blew himself up in front of Maho.

**"You can't forbid me! I'm an adult you now!"** screamed Maho back with tears in his eyes and a red head in anger.

**"I won't let you throw your future into the dirt! You're going to study and that's my last word!"** he screamed further, closing the door locking it so that Maho didn't get through.

**"Throw in the dirt? I will serve the Fatherland! Do you want to say that our fatherland is dirty?!"** she challenged her father.

**"Don't twist my words in my mouth young Miss!"** her father yelled at her and slammed his fist against the door frame so that his fist became white from the pressure he exerted against the door frame.

**"I'm not twisting anything here! All I see is that my own father locks me up and refuses to serve my fatherland!"** Maho scolded her father.

Miho sat in the kitchen and watched the argument closely. It had become routine when her father and sister met and they got into each other's hair. Each time it got worse when the two met. Miho actually wanted to rest in the apartment again, but since the Reich government had enacted a law that women were also allowed to join the army, her sister was fired up and burned with impatience to register.

Miho also dreamed of flying a Messerschmitt 109 after school or driving across the fields in a tank. But she knew her father was against it. A loud crash brought Miho back from the dream, where she drove around the Brandenburg Fields in a tank.

**"Maho now it's enough! Stop destroying your stuff... listen I know that you very much want to enter the Wehrmacht but I tell you will study because..."** He paused briefly as he picked up the shards and saw the destroyed image of them as a family.

**"Because what? You've become a coward? A defeatist? A weak resurgent..."**

**"Enough!"** he screamed with a disappointed undertone, cutting his thumb on a shard of glass.

**"Do you know what's going on out there? It stinks of war! I am at the source I hear voices and read documents to sing to them that prepare everything! And I tell you a young Miss... There will be no sensible negotiations with this government. They are just waiting for the opportunity to get a spark to set the fire alight... please Margot thinks! Do you want to bleed to death on any front or something like that?"** he tried to appeal to Maho's rationality, but she just shook her head.

**"You've become such a cowardly pig... I hate you,"** she said, scornfully turning her gaze away as if her father were a leper.

Speechless, he stood close to the tears, he took a deep breath and went to the front door and closed it. When Maho heard the clap of the lock, she took her packed backpack and stormed out of the apartment. Shortly before she crossed the threshold of the apartment, she grabbed her father by the upper arm and held her up for a moment.

**"Please watch out for yourself!"** he said with a sly voice.

Maho remained silent and once breathed deeply.

**"I love you despite everything don’t forget it,"** he said to her, letting go of her upper arm. Maho grunted contemptuously and pushed past her father and disappeared from the house. Her father stood in the door for a moment before he closed it. Miho stood in the hallway with a leaded face and stared at her father as her eyes met, smiling wearily.

**"Say sweetheart, would you don't want to stay at Erika tonight? I... I still have too much to do and need my rest,"** he said softly to Miho. She knew he was just going to stay alone and drink, so she nodded in agreement and disappeared into her room to pack some things.

***

**17.03.1939**

_Dear Mina,_

_I hope you are well. I was successfully accepted into the army. There were some complications but they weren't worth talking about. Surely you have seen what happened to the Czech Republic? We had an alarm here in case we had to deploy to the front. Which went off lightly. I would have loved to be cheered by the population in the streets. Before I forget, my instructor said I am such a good soldier that I should switch to armored weapons. That would be so great, I can really imagine driving one of the steel giants in front of the Reichstag. The food is also very good here, I think I've gained a little weight too._

_How are you? Is father still mad at me for joining the army?_

_Please write to me as soon as you can. I would be very happy. I'll send you the address separately._

_Please send my best regards to everyone and tell Erika the army is the best thing that can happen to you._

_I hope to read from you soon_

_I love you_

_Your sister Margot_

*****


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